This is how Mayor Moritz Sappl wants to tackle the second term

77.8 percent: This election result gives the Mayor of Moritz Sappl much momentum for the second term. We talked to him about it.

Eurasburg - Eurasburg Mayor Moritz Sappl is about to serve his second term. As when he took office six years ago, he started with a big trust bonus: More than three quarters of the voters, 77.92 percent, voted for a continuation of his policy. That gives him a lot of momentum for the next legislative period, says the city council boss in an interview, who, like at his debut in 2014, has to deal with a difficult situation.

Mr. Sappl, your terms of office always start with a special challenge. The first time it was the closure of the monastery in Beuerberg. The corona pandemic is now dominating our lives.

The subject of the monastery only came up after the election, and the corona theme had already been raised. Of course, neither is comparable. Corona affects the whole world, and the economic consequences are unpredictable.

How do you personally deal with this situation?

I am with the fire brigade, I can handle crises and emergency situations incredibly well. And I also know how to organize them, if need be, from the gut. However: If you deal honestly with the situation, you will find that life continues. And even if not everything is available every moment and at any time, it works. The willingness to help, the cooperation that I see now makes me very happy and confident.

How is the operation in the town hall?

The open public is closed. However, the town hall can be reached by phone and email. If a personal appearance is inevitable, people come in by appointment. All offices are occupied. Where there were two employees, they now work with a time shift. Partitions were also installed. It works quite well.

You mentioned it at the beginning: Corona could have a lasting negative impact.

The community has done its job. The started projects will be continued - as far as possible. The 2020 budget has been decided as it was before the corona pandemic broke out. But we also know that we cannot yet assess how it will develop. Is there a decrease in trade tax, in income tax? How does the pandemic affect the circular contribution? Is there a supplementary budget or not? We are currently driving this line: we do what is necessary for operation. I cannot yet say what it will look like in the second half of the year.

Does this mean that larger projects - keyword artificial turf, merging schools, social housing - drag on for longer due to financial reasons?

It is not yet known whether there is significantly less money available. The situation is incalculable. With more than 14 million euros, the municipal council has decided the largest investment budget the municipality has ever had. What is necessary is done. Investments are also made where possible. Not everything is on hold. Completing the artificial turf by the end of 2021, for example, I don't see yet in danger. Then there is so much on the track - from affordable living space to the bike path to Baierlach. We will not be able to do everything financially. But that will be one of the next steps that the new local council has to decide: What is given priority?

How do you rate the election result, which was even clearer than six years ago?

This is primarily a confirmation of the work of the past six years. To do so despite the competition from the Greens is really a top result that brings a lot of momentum for the next term.

What do you think about the new occupation of the local council?

I'm looking forward to the five new faces. But it is also a phenomenon that none of the councilors who stood for re-election flew out. All were re-elected. Young people have joined. This is extremely interesting with regard to 2026, when some are likely to stop for reasons of age. Therefore it is good if young people come now and familiarize themselves with the topic.

What do you expect from the new constellation?

I assume that we will continue to work in a targeted manner to ensure that the community can move forward. The newcomers have a wide variety of résumés and cover a wide range of ages. You will bring in many new thoughts. But there is also a certain down-to-earth attitude. This is something that has always made the community of Eurasburg stand out: that it has deliberately but courageously developed towards the future. I assume that we will continue to do so - across all political groups. I am sure that we will be able to do a lot over the next six years. And when the next milestone has been set and is on the way, then the six years have gone well. You have to be really realistic. Mainly because you don't know what the economic situation looks like after Corona.

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